News Releases

May 04, 2009

LITTLE ROCK, Ark. (May 4, 2009) - Almost half a million Arkansans live in poverty, many of which are struggling with hunger on a daily basis. Due to the recent economic downturn and the effect it has had on many Arkansans, the law firm of Mitchell, Williams, Selig, Gates & Woodyard, P.L.L.C. has chosen the Arkansas Foodbank Network as its primary Take Time To Give charity for 2009.

Mitchell Williams’ Take Time To Give program is the firm’s community service initiative that provides support to civic and charitable organizations through financial contribution, volunteer hours, and pro bono legal services. The Arkansas Foodbank Network will be receiving a charitable contribution of $25,000 on behalf of the firm’s attorneys and staff.

“Hunger does not know age, race or gender. These are often hard-working adults, children and seniors who simply cannot make ends meet and are often forced to make the decision between food or medicine or paying bills,” Mitchell Williams Managing Director Harry Hamlin said. “Helping our neighbors in need who are struggling during this time in the same communities in which we work and live made the Arkansas Foodbank Network the obvious choice for our efforts this year. We hope our participation will continue to help raise awareness of this serious issue, as well as encourage other companies to join in on the fight against hunger in Arkansas.”

The Arkansas Foodbank Network provides food for about 23,000 families each week and distributed almost 11 million pounds of food in 2008. The organization kicked off its capital campaign last month in an effort to raise a final $1.5 million it needs to build a 77,808-squarefoot facility that would allow the organization to handle a projected 17 million pounds of food the network will need for hungry Arkansans by 2011.

“We are immensely gratified to have been chosen for the Mitchell Williams Take Time to Give Program,” said Arkansas Foodbank Network Executive Director Phyllis Haynes. “In these challenging economic times, the support of our community partners is paramount. Mitchell Williams’ gift to our capital campaign helps us continue to move forward toward doubling our impact on hungry Arkansans and increasing our ability to provide our hungry neighbors access to the food and grocery products they so desperately need.”

Mitchell Williams’ Take Time To Give program has incorporated more than 150 organizations throughout Arkansas and the region since its formal launch in 2004 – nearly 70 in 2008 alone. More information about the firm’s efforts can be found at www.MitchellWilliamsLaw.com.

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Mitchell Williams
Providing strategic counsel on a variety of sophisticated legal matters for 55 years, the attorneys of Mitchell Williams bring together decades of diverse professional experience and extensive relationships to offer clients in Arkansas and across the United States the most comprehensive services and solutions possible. The firm employs 76 attorneys from offices in Arkansas, Texas, and New York. Visit www.MitchellWilliamsLaw.com to learn more.

Arkansas Foodbank Network
Established in 1984, the Arkansas Foodbank Network procures and distributes food to more than 450 member agencies, including food pantries, soup kitchens, shelters and after-school feeding programs, in 33 central and southern Arkansas counties. It is a member of Feeding America (formerly America’s Second Harvest), a Heart of Arkansas United Way and the Arkansas Hunger Relief Alliance. For more information on the Arkansas Foodbank Network, visit www.arkansasfoodbank.org.

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